1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system for converting an audio signal to an abstract graphical representation thereof, and more particularly to a system that receives an audio signal from an external source, converts the audio signal into an abstract visual signal, and outputs the visual signal to an output device, the output device conforming to the shape of an outer surface of a physical case.
2. Description of the Related Art
Audio and video components are commonplace in today's consumer electronics (CE) market. Most home entertainment systems contain various forms of these devices including televisions, amplifiers, VCRs, radio tuners, equalizers, and DVD players, to name a few. Also, the home computer is recently becoming an integral part of the home entertainment system. Each of these devices has one common element—a physical case that comes in a standard color (usually black or white). Component manufacturers continuously change the design of the component cases to make them more pleasing to the consumer by changing the shapes and adding various “bells-and-whistles” to the components.
There are devices related to home entertainment electronics that provide the consumer with visual displays based on an input signal. These devices receive audio signals and output visual representations of the input audio signal. One example of an existing device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,348 issued to Williams that discloses a system that provides an optical display as a function of frequency and amplitude of an audio music signal. The system is comprised of a plurality of frequency selection circuits and a corresponding plurality of linear optical displays resulting in a composite bar display which includes a plurality of linear bar segments each having a length which varies as a function of amplitude of a corresponding frequency component of the input music signal. The display is in the form of a row and column array of individual optical display elements such as LED's. The Williams' apparatus also includes bar/dot display drivers and an operator-responsive switch for alternately selecting either a bar or a dot display at the LED array.
Analogous devices to that disclosed in Williams have been developed into spectrum analyzers commonly found incorporated into systems that output audio signals. The common spectrum analyzer outputs a visual signal representing the amplitude of a particular frequency of a given audio input signal. A plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is associated with each frequency. As the amplitude of a particular frequency varies, the number of LEDs that are lit varies accordingly.
Certain computer media players (such as the RealJukebox and Sonique player) play MP3 music files (among other formats), thus generating audio output. Such players are also capable of generating video that is displayed to the viewer over the computer's monitor. For example, the computer monitor may display a series of bar graphs having amplitudes that oscillate with the beat of the music output.
Display devices are well known. The bulky and large cathode ray tube (CRT) of the early televisions has long been surpassed by the development of new and ever thinner flat panel displays. The newer displays are incorporating the technologies of hybrid organic-inorganic semiconductor diodes, display pixels comprised of thin film transistors, and LEDs constructed from light-emitting organic polymers. Whatever the technology, the resulting displays are entering into the micrometer thickness range, a far cry from the fat and bulky CRTs of the past.
In the CE market, the above devices fail to provide the user with anything but a direct representation of an input signal. Presently, no devices exist that are comprised of a thin film wrapped around the surface of a device or moldable into the surface of the device that can output a visual display. Further, none of the above-mentioned CE devices provide the user with a visually pleasing housing surface. The present invention solves this deficiency.